


Firstborn Son

by Eloarei



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Didn't Know They Were Dating, M/M, Pre-Canon, Trans Character, Trans Male Character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-15
Updated: 2018-01-15
Packaged: 2019-03-05 04:48:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,154
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13380510
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eloarei/pseuds/Eloarei
Summary: Having a crush on the prince was weird. It was even weirder being told he couldn't sleep over at your house because you might get him pregnant.[AKA: The monarchy is always a patriarchy-- even if it's not.]





	Firstborn Son

**Author's Note:**

> I've had most of this sitting around since I finished the game last February, but I'm cleaning out my WIPs, so I thought I'd finish it up. Just a little pre-game trans-Noctis fic.

Having a crush on the prince was weird. It was even weirder being told he couldn't sleep over at your house because you might get him pregnant.  
  
That wasn't until a little later, of course. At first, when they didn't know each other all that well yet and Prompto only _thought_ Noctis was the greatest thing since sliced bread but didn't really have any proof, and the enthusiastic young commoner had invited the prince to stay over at his house, Noctis had said he wasn't allowed to stay at friends' houses because 'security issues', which made enough sense that Prompto didn't really bother pressing it. Besides, he hadn't been completely head-over-heels at that point, so it was only a moderate disappointment, not a crushing one.  
  
They became best friends pretty quick, and the adoration Prompto felt only grew. He wasn't sure if Noctis felt the same, but he was content enough to get to spend time with him as friends, which they did basically constantly. Although it wasn't acceptable for the prince to stay out, it was apparently alright to have friends stay over at the palace-- at least with the right amount of rules in place.  
  
Needless to say, Prompto thought this was a pretty sweet deal, even if they were constantly supervised and he had to sleep in a different room. Usually it was only the prince's adviser Ignis or bodyguard Gladiolus who watched over them, and considering that Noctis had once told him that the two were like brothers to him, Prompto didn't mind. After all, the castle was beautiful, the snacks were abundant, and Noctis was always in a better mood than when they were at school or out in public anywhere.  
  
Inevitably, though, Prompto wondered why the prince had so many restrictions on him. Or, rather, that one very strict restriction. Of course the king would want to protect his only son, the heir to the throne, but was staying over at a friend's house really that dangerous? Especially considering that Prompto _knew_ Noctis could kick his (or practically anyone else's) ass without breaking a sweat. He'd seen how intense Gladio's training could get-- even been put through a round or two of it himself, after it became obvious that he was gonna stick around. (He guessed they wanted to make sure he wasn't totally useless, in case Noctis got attacked when they were together.)  
  
“It's tradition, I guess,” Noctis explained nonchalantly, when Prompto asked (again) why he wasn't allowed to stay out overnight.  
  
“Oh, I just figured your dad was super protective of you,” Prompto said. He reached over across the couch and grabbed a handful of chips. (They were hanging out at the castle again, playing video games in one of the giant entertainment rooms.)  
  
Noctis shrugged. “Nah, not really. He knows I can handle myself. He just, y'know, 'he didn't make the rules, he just enforces them' or whatever. Hey, let's do a match on Hardcore.”  
  
Never one to deny Noctis anything he asked, or to back down from a challenge (if it was issued by the prince), Prompto returned his concentration to the game.  
  
If tradition (and the council that enforced it) had its way, Prompto might never have gotten a straight answer to his question. At very least, it wouldn't have been until the prince was eighteen, legally old enough to make his own choices in any matter that didn't directly jeopardize the safety of the kingdom. As it was, he was clued in quite by accident and rather casually, when compared to how it could have gone.  
  
They were, once again, hanging out in one of the entertainment rooms. They'd been playing games, but had eventually opted for a movie instead. It was some big action flick that was due out in theaters within the next week or so, and on one hand, Prompto was really excited about it, especially as he still hadn't quite gotten used to the fact that they had exclusive early access to so much cool stuff. On the other hand...  
  
Well, his crush on Noctis had only gotten stronger, to the point where Prompto hardly cared about how tiny his chances were (how unlikely it was that Noctis liked him back, how extra unlikely it was that they'd be allowed to date even if he did, how _super_ unlikely it was that anything could come of it in the long run since the prince was gonna have to marry some pretty noblewoman and carry on the family line). He just wanted to _try_ , to put himself out there, because every minute that they spent together without him divulging this heavy secret was _killing him._  
  
So, on the other hand, Prompto was 100% planning to make a move during the movie, completely regardless of his chances-- and the fact that Ignis was sitting at the back of the room (as usual), 'supervising'. (Last Prompto checked, he was doing some paperwork, but even if he were to look up, it wasn't as if Prompto was planning on doing anything _lewd._ Just maybe the ol' 'stretch my arm across the back of the sofa, oh my when did your shoulders get there?' kinda dealio.)  
  
Everything was going according to plan. Around what Prompto guessed was two-thirds of the way through the movie, during a slow moment, he yawned and stretched his arms over his head. But just as he was about to do the reach-across, Noctis paused the movie and got up.  
  
“Sorry,” he said. “Gotta take a bathroom break.”  
  
The prince left the room, and Prompto sighed dramatically to himself, collapsing sideways into the spot where his would-be boyfriend had sat just a moment before. It was warm and-- damp. Confused, he sat back up and felt the spot on the couch that was unmistakably not dry.  
  
“Oh ew,” he said to himself. “What's this? Ignis, can you hit the light?” Ignis did as asked, but otherwise didn't bother looking up from his reports-- at least not until he heard the vaguely-panicked teenager ask, “Is this _blood?!_ Oh god, Ignis, I think Noct was bleeding. You think he's okay? I should go check on him.”  
  
Ignis was on his feet immediately, motioning for their guest to stay where he was. “No, that's alright,” he said, sounding calm but in a forced sort of way. “I'll check on him.” Then he hurried off in the direction Noctis had gone.  
  
That left Prompto little to do but wonder why the hell Noctis was bleeding, and how he could have possibly not noticed a wound big enough to bleed that much. He fretted about it for the next five or ten minutes, until Noctis came back, followed closely by Ignis. The prince had changed clothes and had a look on his face that was one part annoyed, three parts sheepish, and at least a sliver of that peculiar but extremely attractive look he got when he was about to throw the metaphorical rule-book out the window. (It didn't happen _all_ that often, but it wasn't rare either; they were teenagers, after all, one of whom could get away with just about anything.)  
  
“Noct! Are you okay?” Prompto asked, rising from the couch and taking a step toward him, but stopping shy of arm's-length because, you know, personal space and such.  
  
“Yeah, I'm fine,” he said, though his posture didn't exactly corroborate with the story. He glanced over his shoulder at Ignis for a split second. “Just, uh, y'know. Guess my period snuck up on me.”  
  
“Oh,” Prompto said, as if he understood. And then he thought about it a bit more, which didn't help matters all that much. “Ooh. Okay, um. Isn't that something girls get?”  
  
Noctis nodded, trying valiantly to look as chill as possible, and doing a passable job of it. “Yeah,” he said. “And me.”  
  
“Oh.” Prompto nodded a few times, slowly, this new data sinking in at a decidedly slow pace. “Okay. So, uh, you're not hurt?”  
  
“I'm good,” Noctis replied. They stood and stared at each other for another few seconds before the prince asked, “Can we just... finish the movie?”  
  
“Yeah, of course,” Prompto said, stepping back and falling into his seat again. Noctis joined him, though they sat a cushion apart this time, with the little bloodstain between them, and they finished the movie. For the life of him, Prompto couldn't remember how it ended.  
  
Noctis stood as soon as the film was over. “Anyway,” he said, looking in Prompto's direction but avoiding his eyes, “I'm going to bed. 'Night.”  
  
Prompto waved him goodbye, staring numbly as he retreated. Then he stood from the couch as well and headed for the room's exit. Before he could leave, though, Ignis caught his attention.  
  
“A moment,” he said, summoning Prompto to him with just those short words. “I think we need to talk.”  
  
Prompto nodded, though he wasn't sure how much talking he was going to manage. It was something he was usually so good at, but he was feeling a little lost for words at the moment. It didn't much matter though, because by 'we need to talk', Ignis had really meant, 'I need to tell you some things and make sure you understand' which, right now, was more than fine by Prompto.  
  
“I imagine at this point you're putting the pieces together.”  
  
He was _trying_ , definitely, but so far all he'd managed to come up with was “Noct's a girl,” which he said to Ignis, very aware of how dumb it sounded.  
  
“No,” Ignis said. “For all intents and purposes, Noctis is male. He has been since the moment he was born, and will continue to be until his dying day. He simply features some female anatomy.”  
  
Prompto shook his head. “I don't get it. Why?”  
  
Ignis sighed, and it was obvious that this was something he'd thought about before, maybe even recently. “It comes down to tradition. For generation upon generation, the monarchy has been ruled by men. The first born child is always the heir, and the heir is always a prince. Should the prince be born female, it makes no difference.”  
  
“Who decided that?” Prompto asked, scowling. It seemed so... arbitrary. Who cared if the heir was a guy or a girl?  
  
“To the best of my understanding, the tradition began some twenty or more generations ago, when a king had had only daughters and declared one of them a male, in order for there to be an heir.” He looked slantwise at Prompto, expression both amused and uncompromising. “But I doubt you were hoping for a history lesson. What you _mean_ is, why do we continue to uphold this archaic tradition? Unfortunately, I don't have an answer for you. I can only say that it has been done this way for a very long time, across most of the world's kingdoms.”  
  
It was a lot to take in, a lot _a lot_ to wrap his head around. But the history wasn't all that important to Prompto, so he asked the only thing that was really on his mind. “Is Noctis okay with this?”  
  
Ignis shook his head, although it wasn't a 'no'. “Why shouldn't he be? This is how he was raised. He has no other frame of reference, and it's never inconvenienced him any more than shouldering his other expectations.”  
  
Prompto wasn't sure he believed it; he wasn't sure Ignis believed it either, but he figured that was the official story, and the one Ignis had to stick with, even if the adviser had his own reservations.  
  
When Prompto didn't argue, Ignis continued. “I won't keep you much longer, but before you go I have to make one thing clear: you are not to treat Noctis any differently, do you understand?” He looked hard at Prompto, boring into him with his penetrating, hawk-like gaze.  
  
“Uh...” Prompto swallowed nervously. He understood perfectly what Ignis was saying, and he really didn't think this was going to change anything between him and Noctis-- at least, he didn't _intend_ for it to change anything. But he thought about his feelings for the prince, feelings that he was maybe a split-second too late expressing. He still wanted to tell Noctis how he felt, but now he worried that maybe... once he finally got it out, would Noctis think it was only because Prompto suddenly saw him as a girl? He'd rather suffer in silence forever than let Noctis think his affection was so shallow.  
  
“It is extremely important, Prompto,” Ignis said. “You are to continue with your relationship as if nothing has happened. If you can't do that, then you'll have to leave.”  
  
Ignis clearly wasn't kidding, and Prompto remembered that Noctis thought of him as a brother. In this moment, it seemed pretty obvious that Ignis felt the same. And Prompto had never had an older brother before, but if movies were any indication, they didn't take kindly to young men who were interested in their little siblings. “Oh gods,” he said faintly. “You're gonna kill me.”  
  
“There'll be no need for that, as long as you don't act inappropriately.”  
  
“But I can't!” Prompto complained, grimacing comically. He considered just running out of the room, but he felt like he really had to tell someone about this terrible situation he found himself in, and Ignis was already here, and if he was going to get murdered by one of Noct's brothers, he figured he might as well just get it over with. “Noct's my best friend, y'know? I don't wanna just never see him again, but... I don't know if I can pretend that I don't... uh, you know.”  
  
“No,” Ignis replied shortly with an unimpressed look.  
  
“That I...” Prompto ducked his head. He ran a hand through his hair. He bit his lip. This conversation felt harder than just telling Noct. “Don't make me say it,” he whined, pleading with Ignis' steely gaze. They had a stand-off for a few short moments, a battle of the wills which Prompto was never going to win, before he admitted quietly, shamed, “I, I have a crush on Noct, okay?”  
  
The hardness fell from Ignis' expression immediately. “I know, Prompto,” he said, letting out a breath in a soft relieved sigh. “The two of you haven't been fooling anyone.”  
  
“Fooling...” Prompto blinked and let his worried breath catch up with him, taking stock of the knowing look on the adviser's face. “The two of us? Wait, me and Noctis, it's not like that! We haven't done anything together, I swear!”  
  
“Obviously,” Ignis said, laughing slightly. “Otherwise I don't imagine you'd have been nearly so surprised.”  
  
Prompto shook his head. “No, I mean... we're not dating! Like, at all.”  
  
Ignis frowned, and seemed to be thinking over something. “Is that so?” he asked after a moment. “I might suggest that you discuss the matter with Noctis. I'm not entirely sure that the two of you have matching definitions of the word. I think he'll have had enough time to collect himself by now, if you want to run along and speak with him.”  
  
“This late?” Prompto asked, recalling how strict Ignis usually was about Prompto not bothering Noct after he'd gone to bed. He'd fully expected to be told to wait until morning. Heck, that was practically the best case scenario, considering how close he was afraid he'd come to being kicked out entirely.  
  
“I don't see the harm in it,” Ignis said with an uncommonly gracious grin. “You already know his secret, and according to you, the two of you aren't sexually active, so it seems there's nothing to worry about.”  
  
“Aww, Iggy. I appreciate you trusting me not to take advantage of Noct.”  
  
Crossing his arms, Ignis smirked at Prompto. “Well even if you did, you can't impregnate him while he's menstruating.”  
  
“How cold!” Prompto gasped dramatically. He knew what Ignis meant, and that he was at least partly kidding.  
  
“Yes, yes,” Ignis replied, smiling and rolling his eyes. “I'm positive that Noctis can fend off any unwanted advances. I'm also positive that he won't have to, so get going.”  
  
Prompto wasn't one hundred percent sure what he meant by that (though it sounded like it was probably mostly a good thing), but he nodded and headed for the door again. Before he could get out into the hallway, he was stopped one more time.  
  
“One last thing,” Ignis said. “I trust you know that you aren't to tell anyone.”  
  
“About Noctis, or about, uh, us?”  
  
“Either,” Ignis replied, that tendril of unfortunate coldness seeping in again. “His personal life must be kept secret, at least until he comes of age. After that, you'll have to defer to him when it comes to sharing these matters with others. It is non-negotiable.”  
  
Honestly, there wasn't a single other person in the world that Prompto cared to tell about any of this-- no one other than Noctis himself-- so he had no problem agreeing. “Got it,” he said, and skipped off before Ignis could find another reason to hold him back, or before he could revoke the surprising amount of freedom he'd been given for the night.  
  
Although the palace was gigantic, Noctis' room was not far from the entertainment room (relatively speaking), all the living-areas clustered together, away from the servant's quarters and meeting rooms and such. It was just a minute's brisk walk down several richly-carpeted hallways, passing a few vaguely-familiar-looking maids and such, who nodded to him as they passed, before he ended up outside Noctis' door. (It didn't look any different from the other doors in the hall, but Prompto had been allowed there enough times that he could recognize it.) He thought about maybe just leaving Noctis alone for the night, but ultimately decided that this was too good of an opportunity to pass up, and if he went home then he'd just be nervous all night.  
  
Prompto knocked, and held his breath for the tense three seconds it took Noctis to respond.  
  
“Yeah?” Prompto heard, slightly muffled from across the door. Noctis' voice sounded a little hoarse, but mostly he sounded annoyed.  
  
Clearing his throat, Prompto called out, “Hey, it's me. Ignis said I could come talk to you, but I'll leave if you want.”  
  
There was another few moments of silence before Noctis said, “come in,” and Prompto did.  
  
“Want me to leave the door open?” he asked, his hand still lingering on it as he hesitated to let himself in all the way.  
  
“Nah, close it,” Noctis said from where he was bundled in a nest of blankets in his bed, looking just the slightest bit miserable. So Prompto closed the door behind him, as gently as he could, and then took a few steps into the room and stood there awkwardly. He stuck his hands in his pockets and scuffed the toe of his boot on the carpet as he waited to see if Noctis had anything to say first. But it seemed that Noctis was also expecting Prompto to start the conversation, as it was quiet between them for a long few moments, until the prince became impatient and said, “So...?”  
  
“Oh, right.” Prompto startled a bit, and looked up at Noctis shyly. “So. Uh. I guess I just wanted to make sure you were alright.”  
  
“I told you I was,” Noctis said, a little surly. “You didn't have to come check on me.”  
  
“Yeah, I know. But--” There really wasn't any 'but', so he switched gears. “I talked to Ignis. He kind of explained everything to me. I wanted you to know that I don't care. I mean, not that it's not important! Just that, uh, y'know, it doesn't make a difference to me is all I mean! You're my best friend, no matter what! And maybe, well, it sorta sounded like, the way Ignis was saying, maybe you...”  
  
Noctis had sunk down further into his nest over the past minute of Prompto's stuttering, but he poked his head up a little higher, as if intrigued. Prompto could practically see the metaphorical cat-ears raise in interest.  
  
“I what?” he asked, seeming a little nervous.  
  
Prompto looked up at the ceiling dramatically. “Ugh, you _two,_ ” he whined, lamenting how much the prince and his adviser were alike in their tendency to be obtuse at all the wrong moments and make _him_ be the one to say uncomfortable things. He could feel his face burning already. He tried not to trip over his words as he said in a rush, “Ignis kinda made it sound like maybe you liked me and I wanted to know if it was true because if it's not then I'll just have to get over you but if it _is_ , then... I dunno.” He looked imploringly at Noctis, who was now blushing maybe as hard as he was.  
  
“Oh,” he said quietly, a little smile making the corners of his mouth twitch up slightly. “Well, um, yeah. Of course I do. You... like me too, right?”  
  
Prompto gave a single enthusiastic nod. “Yeah,” he said, surprised at how easy it was to admit when the question was out there so clearly right in front of him. He came forward a few steps until he was within a few feet of the bed. “Oh! But not because of the _thing_.” He gestured vaguely, knowing Noctis would understand that he meant the 'big secret' he'd just learned. “Like I said, that doesn't matter to me.”  
  
Relief seemed to wash through Noctis, and he let some of his blanket-armor fall from around him. “Good,” he said, sighing. “I thought it might mess things up between us.”  
  
“No way, man,” Prompto said, striking a bit of a pose. “You know nothing could come between us. Best buds for life, am I right?”  
  
Noctis closed his eyes, his expression as soft and pleased as Prompto had ever seen it. “Right.” There were a few quiet moments again, though the companionable sort, finally, during which Prompto sort of gravitated towards the bed and Noctis watched him, unguarded.  
  
“So, any idea why Ignis thought we were dating?” Prompto asked after he'd sat down by Noctis' blanket-mound-covered knees.  
  
He blushed a little, adding to the lingering redness from the previous times, but didn't look away. “He knew I liked you, so I guess he just assumed.”  
  
Prompto laughed. “Y'mean because the prince always gets what the prince wants?”  
  
“Yeah, probably.”  
  
“Figures that Ignis would know I was taken even before I did,” Prompto said, looking down and across at Noctis with a cheesy grin. “I just wish he would've told me earlier. Woulda saved me a lot of hassle!”  
  
Noctis looked surprised but beyond pleased. “Well, that's how it goes with all this royal business. Lots of secrets. I hear it's even worse when you're dating the prince. Think you can handle it?”  
  
“As long as someone keeps me in the loop from now on! I'd hate to be the last one to know we had our first kiss or something!”  
  
A surprised laugh fell out of Noctis' mouth. “Deal,” he said, pulling Prompto forward by the arm and leaning in to press their half-parted still-laughing lips together. The kiss was mostly just a gentle brush of their smiles against each other, but they lingered with their noses pressed into each other's cheeks and shared a moment of breathy giggles. Then Noctis said, “If it makes you feel better, we can make sure Ignis is the last to know.”  
  
Prompto snorted and lightly bumped Noctis' forehead with his own. “Only if you promise to protect me if he gets pissed!”  
  
“Sure,” Noctis said, pulling back a foot or two to give them some breathing room. (Though Prompto followed him as he retreated, scooting closer to the headboard so they could sit side-by-side.) “You know I can kick Iggy's ass any day. _Gladio's_ another matter.”  
  
“Guess we should tell him first then, huh?”  
  
Noctis nodded, though he made no efforts to get up and go find the man. He melted down into his nest and against Prompto's side, joining their hands above the comforter. “Yeah. Tomorrow, though. I'm bushed.”  
  
Prompto laid back as well, figuring the way Noctis was latched onto him was as good an invitation to stay as any. Still he teased, “I could go find him.”  
  
Noctis didn't respond; he just held on tighter to Prompto's hand and switched off the lights.  
  
They fell asleep like that, but they woke up with the blankets bunched up and tangled around their legs and waists and haphazardly pulled back up over them. They weren't holding hands anymore, but Prompto's head was pillowed on Noctis' chest, and their arms were tucked around each other's backs. It was probably the warmest, softest place Prompto had ever laid. It was heavenly for a nice few moments, until Prompto started to wonder if he was squishing Noctis and if laying on someone's chest was maybe inappropriate and furthermore... was he sensitive there? He had no idea. Regardless of how nice it was (for him), he didn't want to make Noctis uncomfortable so he started to roll away-- but was tugged back against him immediately.  
  
“Where do you think you're going?” Noctis asked sleepily.  
  
Prompto angled his head sharply back so he could see the prince's face, which was set with a comfortable closed-mouth smile and a soft blush. (Or maybe that was just his usual color this early in the morning; Prompto hadn't before had the pleasure of seeing him this soon after waking. It was something he thought he could get used to though.) “Not goin' anywhere,” he responded, as clearly as he could when his face was still a little mushed into Noctis' chest.  
  
“That's what I thought,” Noctis murmured, and they went happily back to dozing.  
  
It wasn't all that long before they were awoken, however, by the pointed clearing of a throat. Prompto startled awake and into a sitting position, pushing away from Noctis in his haste to make it seem like they hadn't been practically melted into each other. Noctis roused more slowly, groaning in annoyance from having been shoved away so abruptly.  
  
“I suppose that's one way of waking him,” Ignis said, smirking where he stood by the doorway with his arms crossed, holding his usual clipboard. “I usually have to call his name multiple times before he's even aware of my presence.”  
  
Prompto's heart started to calm when he realized it was just Ignis, and not some serious threat, but his face was still rather hot, embarrassed to have been caught in such a position, even though Ignis had more than likely known what he was going to find when he let himself into the room. He knew he probably should have said something, a 'good morning' or something along those lines at the very least, but he couldn't get his mouth to work. Luckily, Noctis was right behind him with the banter.  
  
“I'm aware when you're calling me,” he said, eyes still closed but mouth set to quite the matching smirk. “I'm just ignoring you.”  
  
Ignis didn't seem surprised or offended by such a statement, and his expression didn't falter. “Ignore me if you like,” he said, “but you'll end up late for breakfast with the king.”  
  
Noctis' eyes opened at that, and he rolled over to properly face his adviser. “Dad wants to have breakfast? It's not Sunday. ...What did you tell him?”  
  
But apparently Ignis was too busy to answer any more questions. He turned away, saying over his shoulder as he left, “He'll be expecting the two of you in fifteen minutes, in the grand hall. Best not make him wait!”  
  
The two teens stared as Ignis shut the door behind him, both trying to compose themselves and will themselves to proper wakefulness. Prompto looked over at Noctis and found the prince appeared a bit lost in his own mind. “You okay?” he asked, causing Noctis to blink back to reality.  
  
“Yeah. Let's get dressed.” He slipped out of bed and went to rummage in his dresser, and Prompto meant to get up and go find fresh clothes as well, but he became a little distracted watching Noctis.  
  
The previous night, Noctis had already been fairly swaddled in blankets by the time Prompto had found him, but now he could see that he was dressed just in boxer-briefs and a t-shirt. It was by far the least amount of clothes Prompto had ever seen him in, as Noctis had never been one to just ditch his outer layers, even in the sweltering summer heat. They'd never gone swimming together either, which sort of made sense now, so this was perhaps literally the first time he'd ever seen above Noctis' knees. His shirt hung differently too, with folds and creases sloping from his chest, the shape of which was not drastically different from normal, but enough to notice, even under the looseness of the tee.  
  
He looked very soft and comfortable, aside from the tenseness in his shoulders, and Prompto counted himself extremely lucky to be able to see him like this, without the armor he wore in public.  
  
There was only so long he could sit there in their nest of blankets and admire his boyfriend (and wow, that was right, wasn't it? They were really dating?), as they were on a schedule. He was out of bed and about to leave the room before Noctis threw a bundle of clothes at him.  
  
“Here,” he said, already back to rummaging. “It'll take too long to get to the guest rooms and back. Just wear these.”  
  
Luckily, the two of them were of similar sizes, so it wasn't awkward for Prompto to wear Noctis' clothes... except for the thought of changing out his day-old boxers with the soft cottony pair he'd had tossed at him, which was awkward in kind of a good way. He felt himself blushing again and wondered if he'd ever stop.  
  
“Do you want me to--?” he began, gesturing to the hall where he knew there was a spare bathroom a few doors down.  
  
“You can change here, I don't care.” And, indeed, Noctis was already in the process of changing, back turned to Prompto as he stripped off his loose tee and started pulling on a tight undershirt.  
  
Prompto hastily turned away and got to work on his own clothing, trying to forget the image of Noctis' smooth back.  
  
After a few minutes, they were both dressed and hurrying down the long labyrinthine corridors toward the grand hall. Noctis still seemed a little bit caught up in his own world, but he didn't miss any turns, at least.  
  
They got to the big, empty dining hall in considerably less than 15 minutes, Prompto was sure, but King Regis was already sitting at the head of the long table, waiting for them. His hands were folded in front of him, making it look rather more like he was heading a meeting than a breakfast.  
  
“Good morning, son,” he said. “Prompto.”  
  
“Dad,” Noctis greeted, taking a seat across from him.  
  
Sitting down next to Noctis, close but not... _too_ close, Prompto bowed his head to the king. “Your majesty.”  
  
Not a moment later, servants appeared with trays of food and set them down in front of the diners. It was the same process as the times when Prompto had had lunch or dinner with Noctis and his dad, which had happened a few times, so that wasn't what was stressing him out. And it wasn't even that strange to be in the presence of the king, since Prompto had met him quite a few times, and spoken with him personally maybe almost as often as he might have if he'd just been any other friend's parent. (At least, if other friends' parents were anything like his.) But none of those previous times had he been dating the king's son-- not to his knowledge, anyway. Now it seemed like they both knew, based on the way the king was looking at the two of them from across the table.   
  
They didn't speak much while they ate, just simple pleasantries, 'how did you sleep?', etc, that Prompto couldn't help but think were more loaded than maybe they really were. But when they were nearing the end of their meal, the king set down his utensils in a very purposeful way and _looked_ at the two teenagers, and Prompto felt so nervous he wasn't sure he was going to be able to keep his food down.  
  
But then Regis chuckled and his stare softened. “You can stop worrying, the both of you,” he said. “I know what's happened, and I'm not going to have you thrown in the dungeons or any such thing. You can breathe, Prompto.”  
  
At the king's suggestion, Prompto let out the heavy shuddering breath he'd been keeping in. “Thank you, sir.”  
  
“So you're not angry,” Noctis said, half statement half question.  
  
“No, I'm not,” Regis confirmed, smiling almost sadly, as if unsurprised but still bothered that his son would have to doubt him. “You may still legally be a child, but you're old enough to make your own decisions, at least in matters like these.”  
  
Noctis nodded in agreement. “So, what are we gonna do about it?” he asked, still seemingly expecting there to be further consequences.  
  
Regis didn't shrug, because apparently kings didn't do things like that, but his expression was as shrug-like as it was possible to get. “We're not going to do anything,” he said. “Unless we _need_ to do something? Noctis?” He raised an eyebrow just the slightest bit, about the most he could probably get away with, though Noctis responded as if he'd shouted.  
  
“No!” he said, bristling and leaning back in his chair, and Prompto could only stare in alarm and wonder what kind of unspoken conversation had just happened.  
  
“Alright,” Regis said, with an amused smile. “But I'd like to have a physician speak with you about a prescription soon. We have to be careful in a situation like this.”  
  
Groaning, Noctis hunched in on himself a bit. “Ugh, dad,” he said, though he didn't exactly protest.  
  
Laughing, Regis said, “If you'll do that for me, I'll remove all of Prompto's visitation restrictions.”  
  
He could see the gears working in Noctis' head for a good few moments before he nodded and said, “Deal.” He leaned across the table and shook hands with his father in a move that looked like they'd probably made a habit of it over Noctis' life. A moment later, they all left the table and headed their separate ways, Prompto trailing after Noctis, who was suddenly on a mission.  
  
“Okay, what was that about?” he asked, striding down the hall and trying to keep up with his boyfriend. “And where are we going? What's this prescription he wants you to get?”  
  
“Birth control,” Noctis answered simply.  
  
“And you're going right now?” Was the physician's office even open at that time of day? He guessed there was probably always someone available, in case the royal family got sick or something. It wouldn't really do for them to have to run out to the nearest 24-hour clinic.  
  
Noctis raised an eyebrow at him. “You heard my dad. As soon as I get the prescription, he'll remove your restrictions. That _should_ include the rule about me not staying at your place.”  
  
“Oh,” Prompto said. “ _Ooh_. So you're pretty much just using this as an excuse to get to stay out all night. Okay.” He nodded, impressed as usual by Noctis' ability to bend rules to his bidding. Yeah, he was fit to be king, alright.  
  
“Well...” Noctis slowed down and glanced over his shoulder. “I wouldn't want to stay out with just anyone.” He reached back, holding his hand out for Prompto to take, and Prompto did.  
  
“Right. Yeah. Of course not. No, I mean, me neither, obviously.” He fought to keep the cheesy grin off his face, trying not to think too much about Noctis spending the night with him, away from prying eyes and chamberlains that could open bedroom doors whenever they liked. Then that reminded him of what they'd been talking about before they had fallen asleep the previous night. “Oh hey, we should go find Gladio after this, so we can tell him something Ignis doesn't know.”  
  
“Sure,” Noctis said, pleased with the idea.  
  
In the end it turned out that Ignis himself had already spread the news of their first kiss to Gladio (a guess, of course, but one he'd apparently been 99% certain of).  
  
“He's challenging us,” Noctis said, with an almost playful growl.  
  
“To do something before he predicts it?” Prompto laughed. “Y'know, I can think of worse challenges.”  
  
They figured they try a couple things that night at Prompto's place. Theoretically, Ignis couldn't predict them all. 

 


End file.
